July 15, 2017<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve been asking so many great questions the last few weeks and I want to share the answers with everyone.<\/p>\n
FY 2017 Form 486<\/strong><\/p>\n This form is not yet available to be filed, but should be available in the next week or so.\u00a0 I\u2019ll send a message to the listserve as soon as it goes live.\u00a0 Don\u2019t forget, you can\u2019t file the 486 until you\u2019ve received your Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL) notice.<\/p>\n Phantom 471 Reminder E-mails<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve received multiple reports of 471 \u201creminder\u201d e-mails being sent to applicants.\u00a0 If you get one of these, don\u2019t worry.\u00a0 It means you have an unfinished (abandoned) 471 sitting in EPC that you started, but then didn\u2019t submit.\u00a0 Simply go to your EPC Landing Page, and under My Tasks, click on the 471 link.\u00a0 Then click \u201cDiscard Form\u201d and *poof* those reminder e-mails will go away. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n COMAD Letters<\/strong><\/p>\n USAC is in the process of sending Commitment Adjustment Letters (COMADs) out to approximately 300 applicants nationwide, stating that E-rate rules have been violated from a previous year (some going back 16 years) and requiring the applicants to return funds to USAC. So far, I\u2019ve only heard of one in PA.\u00a0 If you receive one of these letters, please e-mail me right away.\u00a0 I can help you determine if rules were actually broken, explain how to appeal, and (if rules were actually broken) how you can set up a payment plan to return funds.<\/p>\n Pre-Commitment SPIN Changes\/Corrections and Service Substitutions<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve heard from several applicants that need to make SPIN changes or Service Substitutions to their FY 2017 funding requests.\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t yet been funded for FY 2017, the best thing to do is to submit a RAL Modification request in EPC and your PIA reviewer will work with you to make those changes during the PIA review stage.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve already received your FCDL, then you\u2019ll need to wait until USAC releases those post-commitment modules for FY 2017 in EPC (which could take a few more months).\u00a0 So the very easiest thing to do is to work with your PIA reviewer to get them changed pre-commitment.\u00a0 Here\u2019s how to submit a RAL Modification: https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=19551<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Category 2 Funding Commitments?<\/strong><\/p>\n USAC tells us that C2 PIA reviews and funding commitments will begin very soon (which I take it to mean next week?).\u00a0 Please know I\u2019ve been pushing them for the last 5 weeks to begin reviewing C2 applications\/issuing FCDLs.<\/p>\n Changing 471 Contacts<\/strong><\/p>\n If you have a new staff member handing E-rate for your school or library \u2013 one that is different than the name listed on the 471 \u2013 please submit a RAL Modification at https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=19551<\/a> to make this change so the PIA reviewer knows where to send the PIA inquiry.\u00a0 You\u2019ll also want to contact CSB and obtain a new EPC account for the new E-rate contact (888-203-8100) and be sure they have a record of where the PIA correspondence should be sent moving forward.<\/p>\n If you have any questions, please e-mail me at jtschell@comcast.net<\/a>!<\/p>\n — Julie<\/p>\n Julie Tritt Schell Penn*link<\/p>\n\n
\nPA E-rate Coordinator
\n717-730-7133 – o
\n717-730-9060 – f
\njtschell@comcast.net<\/a>
\nwww.e-ratepa.org<\/a><\/p>\n